Moistureproof salt shaker



Patented Aug. 18, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOISTUREPROOF SALTSHAKER John W. Strickland, Nashville, N. C.

Application December 8-, 1939, Serial No. 308,273

1 Claim.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel, simple andcomparatively inexpensive bottle for salt, whereby the passage of thesalt through a single delivery-orifice in the bottle mouth is checked bya valve stem passing therethrough, and having a conical valve whichautomatically gravitates to a closed position when the top of the shakeris uppermost, for stopping the discharge mouth, while at the time thevalve stem serves to prevent the single delivery-orifice from becomingchoked.

Another object of my invention is to effectively shield the contents ofthe shaker against the action of moisture by the provision of an airtight closure, wherein the shaker, even when in an inverted positionwill prevent the effective discharge of the contents, unless shaken.

A further object of my invention is to provide a salt shaker wherein theparts are readily assembled or disassembled, and wherein the parts arecomposed of such materials as to obviate possibility of corrosionincident to galvanic action, thereby eliminating the possibility ofadhesion of parts to interfere with an effective discharge of thecontents when shaken.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the top removed from the shaker;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the shaker top with the valve andvalve body shown in side elevation;

Fig. 4 is a similar view but with the shaker shown in inverted positionand with the valve shown in dotted lines in the position which it wouldassume when the shaker was inverted;

Fig. 5 is a detail elevational view of the valve alone; and

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a modified form of the valve having acorrugated neck Ma.

Like numerals designates like parts in each of the several views.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, I provide a shaker body I havinga neck 2 and having its surface 3 screw-threaded. Mounted on the upperend of neck 2 is a cap or disk 4 having a central passage 5. Disk 4 maybe of any suitable material, such as cork, and functions to keepmoisture from entering the container between mouth of the body of thesalt shaker and the bottom of the tapered top 1. Mounted on the shakeris an outer cap 6 having a tapered top I substantially above and spacedfrom the inner disk 4 and terminating in a small central opening 8 whichalso functions as a valve seat for the conical valve 9. Cap 6 has ascrewthreaded portion 10 to engage the screw-threaded surface 3 of neck2 of the shaker body. Valve 9 has an enlarged and preferably ornamentalouter end II, a reduced neck I4 and an ellipsoidal anchor or weightmember [2, which loosely seats in the aperture 5 of inner cap 4 andwhich has a series or plurality of longitudinal grooves [3, as shown inFigs. 3 and 4. The underside or conical portion of valve 9, and theopposite or upper conical portion of weight member I2 act as a doublecheck valve for opening 8. The longitudinal grooves I3 of the anchoringweight I2 function to break up lumps and also to permit the passage ofsalt from the body of the shaker to the opening 8 in the top of theouter cap. Fig. 6 shows a modified form of the invention having a neckprovided with corrugations Isa.

The operation of the shaker is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of thedrawing. Normally, the conical valve portion 9 rests on the valveopening or valve seat 8 and closes it to prevent admittance of moistureto the salt in the shaker. When the shaker is inverted, the weight oranchor member [2 will drop partly out of the passage 5 of inner cap 4,as shown in Fig. 4 to allow a limited amount of salt to enter thetapered top 'I' of the outer cap, and thence to pass through the openingor valve seat 8 when the device is shaken so as to cause the valve tomove upwardly so that the narrow neck portion [4 will be opposite theopening 8 and will permit a limited amount of salt to be discharged.

The neck I4 may have corrugations I la, as shown in Fig. 6, if desired,which will allow salt to pass through the opening 8 more freely.

What I claim is:

In a salt shaker, the combination of a salt shaker body having ascrew-threaded neck, an inner cap removably secured on the upper end ofthe neck, said cap having a central passage therethrough, an outer capscrew-threaded on the shaker body and having a tapered top extendingsubstantially above and spaced from the aforesaid inner cap, said tophaving an aligned central opening, a conical valve normally seated onsaid opening, said valve having a reduced neck, said neck having aplurality of annular corrugations to break up small lumps of salt, andhaving an integral enlarged ellipsoidal anchoring weight depending fromsaid neck, said weight having longitudinal grooves to break up lumps ofsalt and to permit the passage of salt therethrough.

JOHN W. STRICKLANDv

